PRESS RELEASE

October 13, 2001

Sudanese authorities suspended yesterday (October 12, 2001) the English-language "Khartoum Monitor" for two days because of recently published commentary in support of self-determination for South Sudan.

Earlier this week the paper quoted presidential advisor Ghazi Salah al-Din as saying the government would consider proponents of self-determination in the war-torn southern Sudan as enemies since it could lead to dividing the country. The English-speaking Southerners Khartoum Monitor criticized the advisor's comments and reported government officials' criticisms of his statement.

This is not the first time the Government of Sudan grossly curtails the freedom of expression. The Khartoum Monitor was closed down for three days in September for printing articles that the authorities said could lead to racial and religious discord. On September 11, the country's only English-language daily, "The Khartoum Monitor", was banned for three days by the National Press and Publications Council (NPPC). The banning followed the publication of articles in August and September that were judged "harmful" to the country's North-South relations. It is the third time this month the NPPC banned newspapers.

The NPPC that is only accountable to the president of state by law enjoys full executive powers to suspend or ban newspapers or fine publishers. On October 2, NPPC banned "Alwan" and "Al Ousboue" dailies for twenty-four hours. The reason for the ban was "publication of defamatory articles". The decision was implemented on October 3.

Last week, the United Nations Special Reporter for human rights in Sudan cited the Press as an area that has been suffering a setback in freedoms throughout the year. SHRO-Cairo studies of the Press and Publications Law 1993 strongly criticized the NPPC enormous authorities. The abusive powers delegated by the president as patron of the press to the NPPC are wrongfully extended to all correlates of the press, publication, and printing activities. The provisions of the law constituted gross violations of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that guarantees the freedom of expression without any government intrusion.

SHRO-Cairo asks the Government of Sudan to stop all violations of human rights, insures the freedom of expression and the Press, and cancels all provisions authorizing the NPPC's abusive censorship of the Press. The government must remove all articles of the 1993 law that made of the National Press and Publications Council a private police force to curtail the Press under the direct command of president of state and his advisor.